Rail-joint.



A TTOR/VE Y5 PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 2a, 1906,

L. BOUDREAUX.

UNITED gTATES PATENT @FFTQE.

LEANDRE BOUDREAUX, or TI-IIBODAUX, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR or ONE- I-LALF TO JOSEPH A. NAQUIN,

OF THIBODAUX, LOUISIANA.

RAIL-JO|NT..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed November 26, 1906. Serial No. 345,161.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEANDRE BOUDREAUX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thibodaux, in the parish of Lafourche and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad rails, and more particularly to rail joints of that type in which the ends of adjacent rails are locked together byfish plates on one of which are notched or slotted pins, and on the other are wedges which engage with the slots or notches of the pins.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a simple, durable and substantial rail joint of this character in which the parts can be readily assembled or disassembled and so constructed as to maintain the rails in perfect alinement and prevent sagging.

A further object of the invention is to ariange and construct the fish plates so that they can be permanently secured in position and enable the rails to freely contract and expand independently of the fish plates, and so that a substantial structure may be pro vided whereby the rails are securely fastened to the cross ties.

With these objects in View, and others, as Wil appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates certain of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevationof the rail joint. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rail joint partly in longitudinal section. is a side elevation of a modified form of joint. Fig. 5 is a plan view thereof partially in hori zontal section. Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary views of the fish plates shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary perspective views of the fish plates shown in Fig. 4.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

Referring to the drawing, A and B designate the meeting ends of two adjacent rails, which rails are of ordinaryf construction comprising ahead 1, a web Q, and base}, the

Fig. 4

. Figs. 4 and web 2 being provided with the usual round bolt receiving apertures i.

The rail joint has been designed with a special view of its applicability to rails of standard construction, so that it can be readily adapted to old, as well as new, track constructions where it is desired to replace the old style of fish plates and. locks. The fish plates of the joint may be of any desired construction, preferably comprising the plate portions 5 and laterally extending flanges 6 which engage over the base 3 of the two rails. The outer edges of the flanges 6 extend downwardly along the edges 7 of the base 3, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, and the said downward ly extending portions 8 of the fish plates rest upon a supporting plate 9 that extends from one end of the joint to the other.

According to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3, one of the lish plates carries a plurality of laterally extending pins 10 which are provided with elongated slots 11. The pins 10 are arranged to register with the openings 4 of the rails, so as to extend through the same. The other fish plate is provided with elongated slots 12 for receiving the outer ends of the pins 11. At the corresponding ends of the slots 12 are horizontal tongues 1.3 each of which extends from the inside of its respective slot to a slight distance beyond the opposite side, and this extension of the tongue is reinforced by a web 14 which is formed integral with the fish plate. The lateral extensions of the tongues 13 are all beveled at 15 in the same direction, and the outer ends of the slots 11 of the pins 10 are correspondingly inclined, so that a wcdging action is produced by the tongues 13 when they are forced home in the slots 11, thereby drawing the fish plates tightly together.

In the form of locking means shown in 5, the pins 16 on one of the fish plates are provided with oppositely disposed notches 17, as shown more clearly in Fig. 8. The other fish plate is provided with a plurality of buttonhole-shaped openings 18 for receiving the locking pinv 16. On opposite sides of the slot 19 of each opening 18, the outer surface of the fish plate is recessed to form the inclined webs or wedges 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 9. In assembling the 105 fish plates, the pins enter the enlarged portions of the openings 18 and the notched part of the pins are then engaged in the slots 19 together.

by a longitudinal movement of the slotted fish plate. This longitudinal movement causes the outer shoulders or walls 21 of the notches of the pins to engage the wedges 20, so that the fish plates are drawn together by the relative longitudinal movement thereof.

The two fish plates are locked in relative fixed position by means of spikes 22 which extend through openings 23 in the supporting plate 9 and engage in notches 24 in the base extensions 8 of the fish plates. These spikes are driven into the cross ties of the roadbed, so that the railswill be securely held in place. By this means, the fish plates are securely fastened to the supporting plate 9 so that a practically solid and unitary struc 'ture is formed around the base 3 and web 2 of the rails throughout the length .of the joint. The openings 4 are somewhat larger than the diameters of the pins on the fish plates, so that the rails can freely expand or contract independently of the parts of the rail joint.

To assemble the parts of the rail joint, the supporting plate 9 is first placed on the ties and the ends of the two rails to be connected are properly positioned on the plate. The fish plate carrying the locking pins is then adjusted to one side of the rails with its pins passing through the bolt receiving openings thereof. The fish plate having the wedges is then placed on the projecting ends of the pins by a lateral movement, and then the parts are locked together by imparting to the fish plate .a longitudinal movement. The wedge carrying fish plate may be forced home by striking the same a blow on the proper end. The spikes 22 are then driven in so that the parts will be permanently held in position. The spikes on one side of the rail joint have the additional function of preventing the fish plate carrying the wedges from working loose. It will thus be seen that the parts of the rail joint can be easily and quickly put When it is desired to take out an old rail, all that is necessary is to draw out the spikes on one side of the joint and remove only one of the fish plates. The old rail can then be taken apart by a lateral movement and a new one set in. The fish plate is then replaced in the usual manner.

What is claimed is l. A rail oint comprising a pair of rails having openings in their webs, a fiat plate extending under both rails and provided with openings arranged along and spaced slightly inward from the longitudinal edges thereof, a pair of fish plates having portions engaging over the top surfaces of the rail bases and extending downwardly over the edges of the bases and laterally therefrom on the said plate, said portions being provided with notches adapted to register with the openings of the said fiat plate, spikes passing through the notches of the fish plates and openings in the fiat plate, pins carried by one of the fish plates and extending through the openings of the rails, and a set of individual wedge portions on the other fish plate for interlocking with the corresponding pins and held in interlocking position by the spikes engaging the notches of the plate.

2. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails having apertured webs, a fish plate provided with integral pins each having an elongated slot, a fish plate having elongated slots to receive the pins, a tongue projecting from one end of each of the slots of the fish plate and extending laterally from the slot, and a wedge on the outer end of the laterally extending portion of the tongue which engages the outer end of the slot of the adjacent pin.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses:

LEANDRE BOUDREAUX. Witnesses:

L. V. AZEMAR, J. LoUIs AUoom. 

